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Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890 by between 20 and 30 percent of Latter-day Saint families.
Possibly as early as the 1830s, followers of the Latter Day Saint movement (also known as Mormonism), were practicing the doctrine of polygamy or "plural marriage". After the death of church founder Joseph Smith, the doctrine was officially announced in Utah Territory in 1852 by Mormon leader Brigham Young.
Outside of the church, Mormon women were seen as weak and oppressed by their husbands and the men of the church. The political activism in support of polygamy of Mormon women was unexpected as they had been portrayed as powerless. [16] [17]: xii–xvi Despite a Republican-dominated Congress, the Cullom Bill failed in the Senate in 1870.
Mormon polygamy became a major political issue, with federal legislation and judicial rulings curtailing Mormon legal protections and delegitimizing the church. Eventually, the church issued a manifesto discontinuing polygamy, which paved the way to Utah statehood and realignment with mainstream American society.
He told a Mormon messenger, "You go back and tell Brigham Young that if he will let me alone I will let him alone." [27] In 1862, congress passed the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act with the purpose of outlawing polygamy in Mormon territories. However, as part of his decision to leave the Mormons alone, Lincoln choose not to enforce the law.
Likewise, when the "Mormon Question", polygamy, first appeared in national news, there was consistent denial of the practice of polygamy by Mormon publicists. [7] Years later, in 1862, an anti-polygamy act was intended to "punish and prevent the Practice of Polygamy."
A Mormon leader first asked permission for members of the persecuted faith to settle in Texas in 1844. There were 28 Mormons in Fort Worth in 1920. Soon they will build a 30,000-square-foot temple
Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, privately taught and practiced polygamy. [1] After Smith's death in 1844, the church he established splintered into several competing groups.